Suppressing a recurring, throbbing headache, I wandered aimlessly through the city's streets and alleys.
To rescue Lingxuan and Lingxiu, I'd investigated numerous groups of delinquent youths using AM, but to no avail.
It was as if they had no hideout, but had simply appeared out of nowhere in some alleyway…
This reminded me of the men in black I'd tracked and monitored in front of the Luoshen Building. They often vanished without a trace, car and all, after just one turn.
This tactic reminded me of the special spaces of the Black Street. If the men in black were in those spaces, I probably wouldn't have had a chance to rescue the two girls.
Not to mention, Xuetang was also in danger of being kidnapped!
Passing through an alley, I heard low breathing and moans, accompanied by rapid slapping sounds. Two figures were leaning against a wall, their hips moving rhythmically. A sliver of neon light shone in, reflecting the glistening liquid on their erect penises.
The two people inside were clearly using AM (Adult Sexual Intervention). The man roared like a wild beast, gripping the woman's buttocks and slapping them loudly.
The woman arched her back, head thrown back, moaning and emitting joyful, wanton cries…
Three or five used condoms were scattered around their feet…
I watched coldly, but the two seemed lost in a dream, completely oblivious to those around them, clearly in a state of high arousal.
My investigation revealed that the prevalence of Ares and Muse in Shanghai was far more severe than I had imagined!
Not only had the supply increased dramatically, but often it was even a free distribution. For example, AMs would inexplicably appear in many alleys and hidden corners.
So many addicts roamed these places all day, like carp waiting to be fed, indulging in sexual revelry day and night!
This was the scene I saw most often on my journey, to the point that I had become numb to it.
But as I turned to leave, the low, lewd moans and gasps in the alley suddenly ceased, like a duck whose throat had been choked, falling into complete silence.
Sensing something amiss, I stopped and looked into the alley.
There, I saw a ghostly old man, two figures lying limply at his feet.
"This is…"
I recognized him instantly; the old man bore a striking resemblance to the gatekeeper of the Black Street.
He cast a dark, eerie glance at me, then suddenly opened his mouth and uttered a hoarse voice: "What are you looking for?"
When had this old man appeared? I hadn't noticed him at all.
A chill ran down my spine; I became alert. If this man was connected to the man in black, I had to capture him here, no matter what.
"What do you think I'm looking for?"
The old man didn't answer, but his eyes darted around, and he suddenly said, "Li Dong?"
A sharp pain shot through my head. The name sounded strangely familiar, and a slight excitement welled up inside me. Could Li Dong be a relative or friend of mine?
And this old man knew my past?
"Who...is he?" Upon hearing this, the old man's expression became strangely intrigued.
"If you want to know, follow me."
The old man suddenly turned and left, his figure disappearing like a ghost, instantly appearing atop a tall building.
I endured my headache and quickly gave chase.
At breakneck speed, my mind raced. The desire to understand my identity temporarily overshadowed everything else. Besides, this old man's presence here might mean he knew where the AM Party's base was.
There was once a movie called Spider-Man, where the protagonist, bitten by a spider, gained superpowers and leaped between New York's skyscrapers at incredible speeds, covering distances in a straight line. A journey that would take tens of minutes by car could be covered in just a few minutes.
The same was true for leaping between buildings. The wind whistled through the air, and soon I approached a place that felt strangely familiar…
The Yingluo Manor.
I watched the old man enter. After a moment's hesitation, I followed him inside.
The Yingluo Manor was quite large, with lush gardens and crisscrossing paths. There were no lights anywhere; if it weren't for my inexplicable sense of familiarity, I probably would have lost my way.
Soon, the old man stopped beside a building that resembled a Taoist temple.
"Who are you?"
The old man didn't say anything. Instead, he took something from his robes and tossed it to me—a peach wood talisman.
"This is the person you're looking for. You can use this space-breaking talisman to go to... a few locations, and you'll find him."
A thought struck me. Those were the hidden alleys I'd searched. It seemed the problem wasn't that I couldn't find the man in black, but rather that I wasn't using the right method.
After speaking, the old man turned and left. I wanted to call him back to learn more about my identity.
But the old man was elusive, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving only a faint, thread-like voice that pierced my ears.
"Hehe... if you want to reclaim your identity, why not stay here for the night?"
............
The old man was none other than Zhang Zichen, the old servant who exorcised spirits.
He stood in a dark corner, intently watching the gates of the Longevity Temple… the "treatment" time was almost up, but the gates remained tightly shut.
Jiang Hua showed no intention of revealing herself, and the old servant's lips curled into a slight smile.
He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly tonight. After learning of Li Dong's appearance, he had only planned to divert attention, causing a conflict between Li Dong and the Xu family's AM party.
But upon seeing Li Dong, he discovered that the dignified Martial God seemed to only possess the cultivation of the Transformation Realm.
As a True One-level alchemy master, he possessed the miraculous ability of "Qi," allowing him to perceive a person's physical condition at close range.
He discovered that Li Dong's cultivation was indeed still there, but in an extremely subtle form. His dantian was like a black hole, absorbing all the Yang-attribute true energy produced by his body.
This resulted in his outward strength appearing only at the Transformation Realm.
Crucially, Li Dong seemed to have lost his memory, not even remembering who he was.
Therefore, the old servant changed his plan. He arranged for Xiang Anping to snatch the meat from Jiang Hua's mouth, but this wasn't foolproof. Even if Xiang Anping did have some secret, his strength was undeniably that of an ordinary person.
So his original plan was to come out himself and lead Jiang Hua, but that would be too dangerous.
After seeing Li Dong and discovering his amnesia, the old servant changed his mind and lured Li Dong over.